A Seed of Flower

When Wilmarina met him for the first time, she couldn't help but looking at him as long as possible.

If asked on how he looked like, she would said that he was a pretty boy. It made her wonder how the son of the servants of her family could possess such a look; while they were not ugly, they could not be called as anything close to exceptional either.

In any case, the two of them soon became friends. Despite the difference of their social class, he treated her as someone equal to him and she returned the gesture. The two of them were then introduced to Princess Francisca Mistel Lescatie to become her playmates. Her sick constitution meant that there was not much that she could do. Yet nevertheless, they were able to have a happy time with each other.

But all good thing must come to an end.

The two of them could no longer play with Francisca. It was expected of her. She would be trained to become a hero that would one day protect humanity. It was something that she knew from the moment that she could understand what others said.

She never expected that he and his parents would be banished from her house, condemned to live in the slum of the city. No matter what she did, there was nothing that she could do about it. Before he go, he gave her a crown made from some of the most beautiful flowers that she ever saw. In the privacy of her room, he knelt and took her hand.

"Don't worry. One day, we will meet again. That is my promise to you."

That was the last thing he said before they departed from her home.

Not long after that, she found out why they were banished; her father did not like how close she was with him. Commoners and nobles have their places and what happened between the two of them were not considered appropriate.

It was a devastating revelation to her. If only she was more aware of her station, then this would not happen to him and his parents. The grief took her over, motivating him to lock away her feelings and dedicated herself into becoming the hero that people looked up to.

But no matter what she did, it would always come back. When she slept, sometimes she dreamed of the happier time, when they were still together, playing without caring of the world. Sometimes she dreamed of a possibility, one where he remained and the two of them stood together, side-by-side, with each other.

No matter how much she tried to forget it, no matter how painful it was, she still remembered him, his promise. And to this day, she still yearn for the day when they could meet each other once more.

When Sasha met him for the first time, she had to admit that there were many things about him that she didn't expect.

The three of them were once the former servants of the Noscrim family. Being banished by their former master, they basically received the black mark that would prevent them from receiving work as prestigious as their old one. Thus, they were driven to the slum and had to find a harder work with less pay.

Despite the hardship that fell upon his family, he seemed to take it in stride, rarely losing the smile that had become a trademark of his. In less than a year, he managed to insert himself into the big family of the orphanage. Many of the younger children looked up to him as a big brother figure and the older ones admired him. Especially for the females, who were captivated by his appearance.

She had to admit that he was indeed pleasing for the eyes, much to her embarrassment.

When his parents finally reached the end of their lives, she noticed that he didn't react like many would. On the graves of his father and mother, with serene aura surrounding him, he made a small smile, accepting their departure quite well. Too well if one asked her.

It was at that moment that she wondered if he was more than met the eyes. Especially after a visit to the graves where she discovered that flowers – more beautiful than ones she ever saw – grew on them.

She decided to not investigate further, especially after she had her own secret. Her own sin.

When Primera met him for the first time, she wondered whether he was a full-blooded human or not.

Being a half-human half-elf was a difficult life from the moment of birth, due to the fact that your parents were likely ostracized by their respective society. The elves didn't trust the outsiders and exiled the members of their race that showed sign of deviation. The humans in general didn't trust other races too much, due to the monsters and how the dwarfs basically brought themselves to the brink of extinction.

There was a reason why she kept her distance despite the kindness that they showed to her. They were, no matter how nice they were, humans and her elf blood meant that they would not be able to understand each other. We might be able to guess it but nevertheless, we were different.

Yet, despite of that, he kept pestering on her.

No matter how much she rejected him, no matter how much she yelled at him to go away, he always approached, always friendly no matter what, always with that stupid smile on his face.

She had to admit that she appreciated the kindness that he, she, and the children of orphanage showed to her.

She wondered who exactly he was. He claimed to be a mere son of former servants of a priest, but there was an air around him that stated otherwise. He seemed to be something "more," something otherworldly. Then there was him telling her to cherish that she could relate to humans, for it was something that many would be willing to kill for.

She started to suspect that he might not be human. At least, not entirely.

One day, he returned with a man in white robe.

The man claimed to be a mage of immense power and skill. They knew that he was not lying for even they could feel how powerful his mere presence was. He stated that he was traveling around, looking for a student, a protégé. When he met him, he said that he possessed the potential to succeed him and wished to be his mentor. He told them that he would be allowed to send back letter so that they could keep communication with each other.

For Lescatie was not his home and if he was taken as protégé, then that meant he must go with him.

They did not want to be separated with him. But the amount of money that he offered would be enough for the orphanage for half a year and maybe even improve the state of the building. They asked him his opinion. He said that he wished to accept the offer, for his past meant that he had no future in the kingdom.

Both Sasha and Primera knew that he meant. With Priest Noscrim being one of – if not the – strongest person in the kingdom, he would have no chance at all. He would do his best to ensure that he stayed as far away from his daughter.

Thus, with heavy hearts, they accepted his decision.

The next morning, after saying goodbye to them and the children of the orphanage, he and his new mentor departed from Lescatie.

"How long has it been?"

Inside one of the wagons of traveling merchants, a young white-haired man with streak of pink was currently reminiscing about the past. In one of his hands was a half-eaten red apple. The bright white robe that he wore along with elaborate staff leaning on his shoulder indicated that he was a wizard of sort.

Suddenly, the man's face changed. While it retained its serenity, it also looked more serious. He hopped off from the wagon, much to the confusion of others. He then ran towards the front of the caravan. In place where his foot touched the ground, flowers bloomed, creating trail of beauty.

When he arrived in front of the caravan, he raised his staff and stated his order firmly.

"Stoooopp!"

Soon, the wagons stopped moving. Not even a minute later, several people went towards his position, armed with various kinds of weapon. It was quite common for merchants to hire people to protect themselves and their goods from various type of danger.

"What is it?" A muscled man with beard, carrying a big axe, asked the wizard.

"If I tell you, they will know." The white-haired man replied. "Be ready!"

They did as he asked. Satisfied, he turned around to look at the trees and bushes that they were about to pass. He then chanted a spell while rotating his staff on his left hand. When he spoke the last word, he slammed it into the ground, sending three blue orbs flying towards the plants.

It was at that moment armed people emerged from the bushes.

"Bandits!" The axeman shouted. "Everyone, to your position!"

The orbs that the wizard created earlier hit the revealed bandits and exploded, taking out some of them. One of the guards, an archer, let loose several arrows and managed to take out some as well. Those who managed to get close were confronted by the axeman, who led a group of swordsmen and spearmen.

Meanwhile, the wizard turned his attention another direction, knowing that there would be bandits trying to flank them. In his free hand, a golden sword materialized, which was then used to stab the ground. It resulted in a wave of blue flame that ripped the land apart, incinerating the shocked bandits, who haven't even gone out from their hiding spot.

"That's the last of them." He declared as the sword disappeared from his hand.

"Haha, you're one lucky charm, wizard." The axeman stated as others took care of the remaining bandits. "Man, it will be a shame when our contract is over. You sure you don't want to be part of the group?"

"It is a nice offer but unfortunately I cannot accept it." The white-haired man replied. "The world is simply too beautiful to not be enjoyed at its fullest."

"Well, whatever took your fancy, Merlin. Just remember that you're always welcomed among us."

The wizard, Merlin, simply smiled.

After a hard day of work, the hero known as Wilmarina Noscrim simply wanted nothing more but a peaceful sleep. The duty of a hero was not a light one but for the past few weeks it had become even heavier.

There was a plan of creating an order of hero of her own. While there were already quite a few of them in Lescatie alone, she could see why another one was planned. Not only as the powerplay that her father did, it was also in response to her rising popularity as the strongest hero of her generation.

As expected, just as there were many who support the notion, there were those that opposed it. In general, those that did were her father's political enemies who simply didn't want him to increase his influence. While technically that made them her enemies as well, she could understand why they wished for such thing, considering what kind of person her father was.

Unfortunately, they tend to be no better at all.

That was why, right now, at this very moment, the young lady wanted nothing more but attaining the peacefulness of sleep. It seemed that the Chief God had granted her wish, for she was sleeping like a baby.

Until…

WHACK

"Ouch, what the hell?!"

"Wake up, wake up! This is the Magi Mari Wakeup Service, teehee!" She was greeted by the most obnoxious voice that she ever heard. "Magi Mari wants you to stretch those limbs! It's a good way to wake up, you know, teehee."

"Gah!"

When she suddenly woke up, if not for her training, she might had fell from her bed. Looking around and seeing that she was alone and no sign of someone entering, Wilmarina let out a sigh. It was indeed merely a dream.

Though she wondered what caused her to dream that of all thing. Seriously, she never even heard of this "Magi Mari."

Still, she followed the advice that was given to her. After stretching for a while, she picked up a robe to cover her nightgown. She was about to exit her room when her eyes suddenly focused towards an object on the table.

It was a small vase with a single flower in it, the most beautiful flower in the world. The same flower that was the favorite of him.

Her childhood friend and the one that she loved, Elt.

Ever since he and his parents were banished from her house, each year, during her birthday, among the gifts that she received, there would always be a single flower. The same flower that was in the vase. It was usually part of a bouquet, surrounded by other flowers. Her father was never suspicious about it, believing it was from one of her admirers.

It wasn't an exactly wrong conclusion. He simply didn't know the significance of the flower. The flower that might as well be symbolize her childhood friend.

It brought a smile to her face, knowing that after all these years, he still remembered her. Yet it also caused her heart to ached. She wanted more than a simply gift-giving; she wanted to see him again, to hear his voice again, to…

"W-What am I thinking?!" She suddenly thought as her face became red. "Calm yourself down, Mary. You just sound very creepy."

After taking several deep breath to calm herself down, Wilmarina regained her composure and opened the door, exiting the bedroom.

"It's a simple gift. Yet it never fails in making her smile." Merlin said to no one. "That's good."

Currently, the wizard was sitting alone inside a small coffeehouse, a small cup of steaming coffee on the table. It was still in the morning and most people were still inside their houses. Not wanting to waste the opportunity, he decided to be the first customer of the day.

On his hands was a book; an encyclopedia to be exact. On the table – besides the cup - was another book but this one was still mostly empty, along with a quill and an ink bottle. As he flipped a page, the white-haired man let out a whistle.

"I must say, I can see the appeal of this book. These girls are hot." He happily commented before sighing. "Unfortunately, this book is also no good for research. Meaning I must create my own."

He put the book on his hands onto his lap before picking up the quill. After dipping the point in the ink, he began to write on the empty page. After a while, he used his free hand to pick up the cup of coffee and took a sip.

"Hmm…" Merlin put down his quill. "It has been quite a time."

He wondered if it was the time for him to return back to Lescatie. As far as he knew, the Noscrim faction seemed to have become nothing but stronger. They even built what is basically a private settlement for themselves. Talked about being excessive. Still, it was a good way to show their wealth and power.

There was also the matter of the orphanage that was his home before his journey. It was still standing and in fact was in better condition compared to when he left. He wasn't exactly sure how much the money that he sent back play a role in the improvement but it definitely did.

"And speaking about the orphanage…" He drank his coffee before chuckling. "Sasha, dear, you have been a naughty girl."

In any case, perhaps returning would be a good idea. The nun and Primera were missing him and – despite knowing their condition – he wanted to see the children of the orphanage with his own eyes. Most importantly, there was one person that he had wanted to meet after all these years…

…but until situation improve, it was better to did it later.

The wizard stood up and packed up his belonging. On the table, he left a single gold coin; a tip for the owner for the refreshing coffee. As he about to exit the coffeehouse, he muttered something to himself.

"I am sorry, Mary. But we have to postpone our fateful meeting."

And the prologue is done.

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